Casshern Sins Drabbles
by musicluver008
Summary: Too many plot holes for a full-length story, so how bout a bunch of little ones instead? If you like angst, read. If you like happy stuff, don't read. In case the title didn't give it away, this is for Casshern Sins, not the old cartoon. If you ship Casshern and Lyuze, check it out :)
1. A Long Awaited Reunion

**Hey there! This is the first time I've written anything for something that's not related to the Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices. I've actually started a full-length story for Casshern Sins, but there are so many plot holes that it's kinda impossible...so here are some drabbles! Some angsty, some happy, the works. Hope you enjoy :)**

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It was time. He'd denied himself happiness long enough. And though what he was about to do wouldn't be enough to fill the aching void the resided in him, it would greatly lessen the pain. And he would welcome that temporary solace with open arms.

These thoughts deepened his resolve but seeing that small cottage froze him in mid-stride. His plan had pretty much consisted of _getting_ to the small shack. Sure, he'd thought about what he would say to her, but he had been unable to come up with anything acceptable. _It'll be a long journey,_ he had told himself, _and you'll have plenty of time to think of something._ But now he was here and quite apprehensive.

A thought crept up from the edges of his subconscious, but he pushed it down. Thinking of the pink-haired woman would only bring sorrow upon what would hopefully be a joyous reunion. But his eyes strayed to those twin slabs of rocks that rose from a beautiful garden of flowers. Lyuze's necklace hung off one of them and flashed green in the sunlight.

His attention was caught by a figure pushing through the side door of the cabin and hobbling down the path. Pots filled the circle of her arms, some teetering precariously as she made her way down into her vast garden. She crouched, setting down the pots, and stood to brush the dirt from her tan dress. Silvery blonde hair cascaded down her back, eerily different from the short curls he remembered. She was quite tall as well, compared to her height as a little girl.

Casshern couldn't help but wonder what kind of being she was, to have been able to grow up like that. Robots didn't age, but humans didn't live near as long as she had. She had to be some sort of mix, which seemed impossible. But one thing was for certain: she was unlike anything else on the earth.

She'd been created by experiments. He had pieced together the fact that Leda was her mother, but who supplied the other chromosomes. It wasn't him, was it? Or perhaps Dio? That seemed more likely, because of her hair color. Or…could it have been a human? It couldn't have been any ordinary robot. All Casshern knew was that the experiments that created Ringo were conducted with the goal of successful robotic reproduction.

Casshern frowned, surprised at having gotten distracted so easily when he was about to do something he'd been wanting to do for over a hundred years. But when one spends that much time wandering the earth alone, one becomes accustomed to thinking.

A crash snapped him from his thoughts. He refocused on Ringo as she knelt to pick up the remains of a broken pot. She was muttering, and he was pretty sure she'd never used such colorful vocabulary as a child.

His lips barely curved upward as he started toward her.

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**Reviews are almost as good as chocolate :)**


	2. A Moment of Remembrance

_She walked through a field of crystals._

_Dazzling blue gemstones that radiated with life, bursting forth atop their vibrant green stems. But these jewels weren't like shiny rocks. No, they were as delicate as the wings of the butterflies that flitted about above them._

_But their beauty amazed her, all the same._

_Her white dress was a beacon of hope to the weary. She was not a giver of life, though. She was an everlasting fountain of youth for those who yearned for vitality._

_But she was alright with that._

_It made her happy._

"_Lady Luna," sounded from behind. The voice was deep and rich, gentle and callous at the same time. She smiled and turned to face her guardian._

"_Dune. The flowers are beautiful today, are they not? The sun has given them strength and revived them."_

_The god of death didn't curve his lips, but a smile shone in his green eyes. He held out a blue bucket filled with water. "Perhaps it's time for a different sun to give them strength."_

_A pale, slender hand took the pail. Another dipped inside and curved, pulling out some water. She let her arm fly with a flourish, watching at the small raindrops collected on the petals around her like early morning dew._

"_Thank you, Dune."_

"_Anything for you, Lady Luna."_

Her eyes fluttered open as the present reality pulled her out of the dream. She sat up, wondering for a moment how she'd gotten from the field to the stone room. Had she fallen asleep among the blossoms, leaving Dune to carry her inside?

No. It had been a phantom image. A mirage.

Dune was gone. He'd fallen victim to the one thing that disgusted her the most.

Death. Ruin.

The concept of death didn't seem to bother her near as much back before Casshern had killed her. She'd been so naïve back then, not completely aware of the evil of death. She hadn't known what it truly was.

But she did now.

Death was a sinister virus that everyone was born with, a fate that they were sentenced to.

It had to be eradicated. Destroyed. Erased from existence completely.

That was her job.

Death was something to be feared.

Death had _no_ happy ending.

Death had taken Dune.

The moans of countless people sounded from outside. They were all suffering from impending death. Their tortured cries echoed in the vast room.

The Sun named Moon stood and went to spill her blood once again, in hopes of eradicating death.


	3. Broken Beauty

A black mass loomed on the horizon. His blue eyes remained trained on it as he approached. It slowly grew from a small speck into a large city with decaying buildings and streets littered with abandoned cars. He took his time walking through it, as there was nothing better to do.

The towers were extremely modern, but holes marred their sparkling glass surfaces. Paper, shards from broken windows, and other debris were scattered on the pavement and sidewalks. Some of the wall bore torn posters and graffiti. Shops had obviously been broken into a looted repeatedly.

Casshern gazed upon his surroundings and imagined what the city looked like back in its day, when it was unbroken and filled with people.

It was such a shame to see something with the potential for so much beauty being slowly destroyed and corroded by the elements.

Apparently robots and humans weren't the only ones suffering from the Ruin.

At that thought, Casshern frowned with the realization that he was at least partly responsible for the harm that had befallen this city.

Ohji had once told him that human cities were hard to find. The planet used to be filled with them. But, due to Braiking Boss's attempt at human genocide, almost all of them were wiped out.

Finding this battered treasure was a rare gift, indeed.


	4. Day of Departure

She remembered one of the saddest days of her life with sorrowful fondness. Her maturity had been too low for her to understand the importance of his departure, so the memory was blurred by the confused grief that had consumed her. But it was the clearest memory she had of the man she considered a brother.

_Her eyes opened slowly and painfully. They were sore from all of her crying. She gazed at the ceiling and remembered the events of the earlier days. A wave of sadness crashed over her._

_Ohji was dead._

_Her guardian, her protector, and the closest thing she'd ever had to family, was dead._

"_Ringo," called a familiar voice softly._

_Though she knew that voice as well as her own, it was still slightly foreign. He had barely spoken to her all week. He had barely spoken at all._

_Since Lyuze died._

_Another barrage of sorrow._

_She sniffled and sat up, tears swimming in her eyes. In the corner of the small cabin was a blob of white, red and gold._

"_Casshern?"_

"_How do you feel?"_

_A few tears leaked down her cheeks, but she didn't let the sobs out. She wanted to be strong. Like Ohji and Lyuze would want her to be. Like Casshern._

_In response to his inquiry, she shrugged._

_He sighed, something he didn't do often, and stood. Sunlight trickled in through the window, illuminating the motes that dances around his pristine form. His body was perfect as always, something every robot on earth was envious of. She recalled their first meeting, when she'd thought he was a human. _

_He looked invincible to her, as if nothing could touch him._

"_I have to go," he stated, his voice calm, smooth, and devoid of emotion._

"_Where?" she asked meekly._

"_I won't be back for a long time. But Friender will stay with you. When we see each other again, you'll be all grown up."_

_Confusion bombarded her and she scrambled off the bed. "No! I don't want you to go, Casshern! Why are you leaving?"_

_He headed toward the door but paused, his back to her. "I have to watch over the world. I'm sorry." He turned his head, but didn't look at her over his shoulder. "You'll understand someday. Live your life, and we will see each other again."_

_The door opened._

"_Goodbye, Ringo."_

_And the man who had caused the Ruin of the world was gone._

She thought about that day often.

There was one thing she knew now that she had not been able to comprehend back then.

She had thought he was invincible, that no harm could come to him.

She thought that he couldn't possibly understand her pain.

But she had been so wrong.

He had probably suffered more than anyone that had ever lived.

Casshern had lost so many people. He had _killed_ so many people. And in causing the Ruin, he'd gained the ability to feel. Perhaps his emotions were all part of the punishment for his many sins. When he had caused the Ruin, he did not have the ability to feel guilty for his actions. But when he'd woken up that day to a herd of robots trying to kill him, he'd gained the ability to feel remorse and love.

He had met Ringo and come to care for her as if she were his own sister.

He had met Lyuze, and offered her his life as compensation for that of her sister's.

Ringo remembered the pink-haired beauty. A fierce warrior and loyal friend. She had met Casshern with a vendetta to kill him for his crimes, but had come to love him instead. Ringo smiled at the various images of them together that flashed through her head. What Casshern and Lyuze had was special, a glimmer of light in midst of such terrible times. When Lyuze had died, Casshern had shown more emotion than Ringo had ever seem. He had always looked sad, but those broken sobs as he held Lyuze's body…

Casshern carried so many chains.

Ringo could do nothing but tend to her flowers until the day that Casshern's chains pulled him back to her.


	5. Death's Face

Her chest heaved as his footsteps faded out. She was already trembling. But an image of him, so dark and evil, flashed through her mind and her body shook harder. How could someone so beautiful, so full of life, be the embodiment of death?

"_If you or anyone ever forget the face of death again, I will return."_

How could she forget his face?

Her terror slowly began to ebb and her shivering stopped. The racing breaths that rattled her body evened out. But the stench of death was still all around her, suffocating her.

She hugged her knees closer to herself and waited for the storm to pass.


	6. Intermission of Eternity

He didn't want to fight. After all the lives he had taken, even out of self-defense, there was nothing he abhorred more. But there were still despicable robots roaming the world, and he had the misfortune of running across them from time to time.

In fifteen years, the world had slowly begun to heal from the Ruin. Word continued to spread about Luna and robots were travelling from all over the world to see her. Some believed in what she could do, but some didn't. Robots continued to perish from the Ruin but part production was starting back up. Some had even stepped up to begin researching ways to increase lifespan and population.

Casshern watched the developments from afar. Rumors were spread about him, as well. Some thought that he was dead. Some thought that he was wandering the world, which was the truth. Some even thought that he was going around killing people. There were even those who didn't believe he existed at all.

"Casshern."

He landed quietly on his feet as the bandit fell to pieces behind him. The glow faded from his blue eyes and his face-plates slid aside so he could speak. "You are quite perceptive."

The old man picked himself up off the ground. With him he took the small box that the bandits had tried to steal from him. "No one can fight like the infamous Casshern. But the perfect human-like body also gave you away. You might want to look into some way to hide you identity. A cloak, perhaps."

The man chuckled. Casshern turned to walk away. "I would appreciate if you kept this quiet."

"Only if you sit and keep this old hunk of metal company for a while."

…

The old robot clutched the box as if it were his life force. His face was shadowed by his hood, but grey hair passed his chin and swung with his movements.

Casshern leaned against a boulder, watching the blue-green flames. The pair had sat in silence for a while, but apparently the old man had enough.

"Well, I know your name so I should tell you mine. "I'm Lucian."

He went on when Casshern didn't say anything. "It's an old human name. My creator, rest his soul, was old-fashioned. This here," he held up the box, "will give my brother his sight back."

He ran his fingers over the lid. "You sure are quiet. Not that I was expecting you to say much. I reckon with all your solitude, you've gotten used to silence. Where you headed?"

Casshern shifted and looked up, brown hair falling in front of his eyes. "Have you gone to see Luna?"

"That's okay. I bet you're a secretive person. No, me and my brother enjoy living, but not enough to want to forever."

Casshern hummed.

A while later, Lucian stood. "Well, I best be on my way. It was nice to meet you, Casshern." He put out the fire and turned to walk away, but paused. He looked over his shoulder, and Casshern got a glimpse of shockingly human-looking brown eyes glinting kindly under the hood. "You know, not everyone hates you for starting the Ruin. Some of us are thankful for the mortality. Including me. So, thank you, Casshern."

Casshern watching the man's retreating figure until it vanished into the night. Lucian had left him with many questions, and Casshern hoped that someday, they would cross paths again.

He stood and resumed his endless journey.


	7. Ray of Hope

How he always managed to get sucked into having company was beyond him.

"You robots ever heard of baseball?" asked one of the humans sitting across from him.

Casshern normally wasn't very talkative, but these humans fascinated him so much that he actually replied. "Baseball?"

"Human game." The older human of the two held up what looked like an oddly shaped wooden pole. "Someone called the pitcher throws a ball and someone on the other team has to hit it with one of these." He shook the pole. "A bat."

Casshern didn't say anything as the human swung at the air. "People could play it at school or do it as a career."

"Did you play baseball?"

The guy nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't the best at it, but I wasn't bad. It was fun."

No one said anything, so Casshern stood and started walking.

"Wait."

He turned.

The human hesitated before speaking. "A woman told us that Luna takes away the ability to die. Gives people immortality. Do you think she was right?"

"Yes. Luna does nothing but take away mortality." He turned to keep walking, but stopped and looked back once more. "Who was the woman? What was her name?" He didn't know why he asked, but a gut feeling told him to.

The human shrugged.

But, just as he was almost out of hearing range, he thought he heard the younger, quiet human say the name of the person he missed the most. He froze, eyes widening. No…she was dead…it wasn't possible.

Was it?


	8. She, The Sun

"A most precious and endearing light. I am happy just to gaze upon her."

Soft footsteps approach.

"Luna."

Her usually apathetic gaze flickers with sadness. But only for a fleeting moment.

A flower, withered and offered.

A wispy voice replies with scorn, "I despise _anything_ that reeks of death."

Questions are asked.

"He's beyond healing."

Soft footsteps fade out.

"I told you so. The Sun gives nothing. It's simply the way it is. Just as the flowers bloom, not for anyone's sake but their own.

"I am content with just being a flower. Blooming and withering away. That's all I ever needed."

Green eyes focus on the retreating figure of the Sun named Moon.

A withered flower crumbles, and the pieces swirl within the wind.

Green eyes lose focus and close for the last time.


	9. Two Granted Wishes

He probably would have chuckled at the look on her face had millennium of depressed solitude not erased the knowledge of how to laugh.

Her already-large eyes were impossibly wide and as blue as his own. She had not changed at all from their last meeting, so long ago. That night was decidedly unpleasant and he almost shuddered when the memory resurfaced. It had stormed. His hands had been stained crimson with blood. She had been wearing that same look of utter terror that twisted her face now.

She shuddered and backed away. "Bringer of death, why are you here?"

Casshern shook his head, but remained where he was. "I'm not here to hurt you, Luna."

She flinched at the sound of his voice.

He continued. "Too long have I walked this earth as a wraith. The world has been completely recovered from the Ruin for a long time, so long that I have faded into legend. My sins have been atoned for."

She waited, no longer trembling.

"You want nothing more than to see me destroyed. I have come here to allow you your wish."

Luna hesitated, a frown appearing. "You want me to…kill you?"

Casshern nodded. "I believe you are the only one who can."

"But…why? Why do you yearn for the blackness of death?"

His blue eyes reflected millennium of sorrow. "The only thing I yearn for is peace. Rest. To be reunited with the few people I have ever cared about."

Luna shook her head, clearly not understanding. "What makes you thing that there is any kind of existence after death?" she asked.

The way he sometimes heard Lyuze's laugh in the wind. Or how the prettiest seashells, the ones that Ringo would have adored, seemed to lay in his path when he was near the sea. Or how he would look down and see paw prints next to his feet that would disappear after he blinked.

These were his reasons, his proof, and his hope. It was because of these occurrences that he hadn't gone insane long ago.

But he simply replied, "It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Suddenly, there was a blade protruding from his chest. Scarlet flooded out, staining his white suit and the floor around him. Luna jumped back with a cry, eyes horrified at the blood. Her hand slipped from the grip of the sword.

He didn't feel the fall, but the world was suddenly sideways.

His vision swam and began to dim. His body, which was usually so light and agile, started to become heavy.

"Thank you, Luna," he choked. "I'll give your regards to Dune."

He was gone before he could hear her broken sob.

…

The first thing he heard was the whispering roar of the ocean.

Then a bark.

Then Ringo's laugh.

Then Ohji's rough voice.

Then…

"Oh, Casshern," sighed Lyuze, sounding as if she were right next to him. "You're finally here."

He opened his eyes.


	10. Cessation of Heartbreak

He sat in a cave, staring into the blue fire before him. Biting wind and piercing rain slammed down from the brooding clouds outside. Heaven was upset. It was one of those days.

_Pots crashed on the stones and the swing they'd rested on hung, broken. He dove to the ground, cushioning her fall._

He gazed out over the ocean, remembering when they'd gone looking for seashells together for the last time. She had needed help walking and he'd had to hold her while they stood, but he had never been happier. Her laugh still rang in his ears, so clear.

_She gazed up at him, fear coloring her features. "I don't want to die. Dying would mean leaving you and Ringo."_

He watched the human family from a distance, completely transfixed. A child played with a bug he'd found while the parents looked on with content smiles. The women held a little bundle in her arms—a baby.

Casshern hadn't met many humans, but he found them fascinating. And these humans looked so happy. They'd managed to find a sliver of happiness in such dark and hopeless times.

_He searched her eyes. There was fear, sadness, and resignation. But there was a spark of rebellion. She knew that she was close to death, but it was truly not what she wanted._

_Without thinking, he grabbed a shard of glass from the remains of the broken pots._

_Her eyes closed as he sliced his palm._

He approached the cottage that he hadn't seen in so long. Ringo and Lyuze's garden now spanned a good chunk of the valley and the sea hummed happily.

_His blood slipped past her lips, but she did not stir._

He stood in front of the door, unsure how to proceed. Should he knock or simply walk on in? What if she wasn't decent? What if she wasn't even there? What if she didn't want him to come back?

He had just raised his hand when the door opened.

Her eyes watered. A hand covered her mouth, muffling her gasp. "Casshern."

He let a small smile curve his lips. "Hey, Ringo."

…

He'd been staying with her for a week, but she was awfully excited today.

It was extremely strange to see her now as a young woman and not a little girl. She told him that she'd spent some time traveling and that there was a small town nearby where she had friends and traded flowers for supplies. Friender followed them around everywhere, never letting Casshern leave his sight. Casshern was glad to have his friend back—he hadn't realized how much he'd missed the dog.

But today, Ringo couldn't keep the smile off of her face. She kept humming under her breath as she worked in the garden.

"Why are you so happy today?" he finally asked when she started making a crown of flowers.

"Hm?" she glanced up and her smile seemed to widen. "Oh, I'm just expecting a visitor today. An old friend that I haven't seen in a while. She should be here any minute."

He nodded and continued his earlier task of watching the ocean from his perch on a boulder. Ringo was a few yards away, planting some new seeds.

He turned when she gasped. Her head whipped around from where she'd been looking to gaze at him. "She's here." Ringo looked back at the hill she'd been looking at before.

His blue eyes scanned the area, searching for this mystery person. A flash of pink caught his eye.

He was on his feet in a millisecond.

She was walking over the crest of the hill, looking better than ever. There wasn't a trace of the Ruin anywhere on her. The wind tossed her hair and she flicked at it impatiently. She hadn't spotted him yet.

He started running, Ringo completely forgotten.

She saw him, and matched his pace.

They stopped about two feet apart, eyes wide and voices gone.

She was here. She wasn't dead. She was here, alive, with him.

Suddenly, she smiled. It was brilliant. And then—

"You're a very hard person to find. I've been looking for a while."

He felt a strange pounding in his chest. His breath seemed easier to catch than it had in many years. "I—"

The words wouldn't come, so he strode forward and crushed her to him.

She sniffled and wrapped her arms around his torso. That was when he was sure that she was real.

He took a deep breath, trying wrap his mind around the situation.

She leaned back to look at him but didn't dare go too far.

His voice seemed to return. "I…I thought you were—"

"I very nearly was…" she said. "But then I woke up. And you were gone."

He stayed silent.

She frowned. "You did something, didn't you? To save me."

He nodded.

She smiled again. "I've been searching for you ever since." She leaned her forehead on his chest, right over the C. "Oh, how I've missed you."

He closed his eyes, smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time. "Not near as much as I've missed you."


End file.
